Another writer I know is about to launch a serialized novel. It will release with two chapters a week. It’s free. Ilona Andrews has done the same thing with her Innkeeper series, at the end of which, she pulls it all together into a full book, revising and producing a a final, polished version. Personally, I don’t read them in serial. I can’t stand to wait for the next entry. I do buy the books when they are complete and available for sale. Some writers do this sort of serialization on Patreon to reward the support of generous readers.

I have contemplated the serial novel. It’s a truly daring thing to do, because frequently the story changes as you progress and the beginning must be radically changed. Or you take a wrong turn and you have to back out. I did that recently, cutting almost 15K out of novel in […]

I am a little late on this announcement today, but my book, Path of Fate, is on sale today on all e-platforms for a mere $1.99. It’s traditional fantasy with a touch of romance, war, wizards, friendships, and sentient animals. Check it out on my website and if you like it, click through to buy it.

Thanks for letting me share!

And the description:

Orphaned by her mother and passed from family to family in the village of Kallas in the land of Kodu Riik, Reisil feels as if she will never truly belong. But her training as a tark, or healer, offers her the promise of acceptance by the townsfolk, and as her talents emerge, it appears she will finally be able to hold her head high. But fate has another path in store: A goshawk named Saljane swoops into her life, and Reisil discovers that she is able […]

We’ve talked about change a lot here on Magical Words. Over the years, you’ve seen a lot of changes happening in terms of the publishing industry, and every time you think you think you know what’s what, what changes again. The ground is like the sand under your feet when you’re standing on the shore with the waves washing over your feet. It just . . . goes away. If you aren’t shifting and stepping, you are going to fall on your ass. Sooner or later.

I’m in the middle of estate planning. I’m late on this one, insomuch as I have kids who are teenagers and should have had a lot of things in place just in case. The man and I are remedying that now. But it raises an issue. I have published 15 books, plus some short stories and essays. If I were to die today, would […]

First, let’s be clear that I’m not suggesting that you take your book out to dinner and a movie and possibly a little nookie on the side. That would be oh so weird and also wtf? No, I’m talking about relevance and putting in references or language that doom your book to being considered old fashioned or out of touch after being out a few years. This isn’t usually a problem for second world fantasy, but often is a problem for SF, UF, contemporary fantasy, and most any contemporary novel. That’s because trends change, fashions change, language changes, and what’s ‘cool’ changes.

Now there are some things you’re stuck with. If you’re writing a book set in 2016 Greece and use current descriptions (which you’d have to do), ten years from now, when hopefully Greece isn’t flooded with refugees trying to escape certain death, Greece will look considerably different. What […]

Does anybody else get lazy about writing in the summer? My kids are home, and it’s sunny, and there’s so much to do. And to read. And movies to catch up on.

Every year in August, I have this urge to go shopping for office supplies and clothing and shoes. I know this is a holdover from going to school (and given that I have a PhD, I went to school a LONG time, plus I taught for another 15 years, plus now the kids are in school–can we say it’s ingrained? Yes, we can).

But I think summertime vacation is ingrained in me, too. Again, up until three years ago, I taught or went to school, and summer was the time to catch up on everything else. Of course, I also did a lot of writing, but because I lived in the land of the ice and snow, summer […]

First, I just want to say how awesome and amazing the articles on Magical Words are. You are so lucky to have this resource. I wish I’d had it back in the day. I’m so honored to get to be a part of a group of such smart and talented people.

But to the topic at hand. Imposter Syndrome. It’s defined (according to wikipedia) as:

Impostor syndrome (also known as impostor phenomenon or fraud syndrome) is a term coined in 1978 by clinical psychologists Dr. Pauline R. Clance and Suzanne A. Imes referring to high-achieving individuals marked by an inability to internalize their accomplishments and a persistent fear of being exposed as a “fraud”.

News! News! News!

Now, I’ve felt like an imposter forever. It started in my PhD program and has only increased over time. The imposter in me says–high-achieving? Really? Am not. Not even close. […]

For awhile now, I’ve been reading a lot of non-magical romantic suspense and watching a whole lot of true crime on the ID channel. I used to watch HGTV a lot, but lately, it’s all true crime for me. I’ve been reading Laura Griffin‘s books, as well as Linda Howard, Pamela Claire‘s I-team books, and Linda Castillo, among others. I’ve never thought myself capable of writing a mystery or a suspense novel. I figured my plots would be way too obvious. But lately I’ve found myself thinking in terms of characters and plots and I’m taking notes on a romantic suspense novel and have even written a bit of the opening. If you’re curious, check out this post, and keep in mind, the writing is very rough.

You might ask why I’m switching genres. Well, I’m not. I love fantasy and I have no plans to leave it. But I […]